Tag: Fans

Saints announce 2025 Saints Legends Fan Cruise

The New Orleans Saints announced their partnership with Seaside Events to launch the Saints Legends Fan Cruise in April 2025:

Here’s a new one. On Monday, the New Orleans Saints announced their partnership with Seaside Events to launch the Saints Legends Fan Cruise in April 2025, which you can read more about here. The seven-night cruise on the Norwegian Getaway will tour the Western Caribbean with stops in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

What’s unique is that this gives diehard Saints fans the opportunity to interact with some of their favorite players at meet and greets, group dinners, panel discussions, and autograph sessions, among other events. Additionally, the first 50 cabin bookings will receive seats at the Suite or Club level for a 2024/2025 Saints home game.

Saints owner Gayle Benson announced the cruise in a statement from the team: “We are thrilled to join forces with Seaside Events for this exciting venture, offering Saints fans an exclusive opportunity to interact with our Legends in a vibrant and exclusive atmosphere, fostering memories that will endure for a lifetime.”

So who will be in attendance? Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson has already committed for the cruise, and so has fan favorites like Pat Swilling, Michael Lewis, Joe Horn, and Fred McAfee, and many other former Saints players. There aren’t many other events like this one, so be sure to check it out.

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Saints announce 2024 training camp will be held at UC-Irvine

Zot! The New Orleans Saints announced their 2024 training camp will be held at UC-Irvine in Southern California:

As had been previously reported, the New Orleans Saints will take their 2024 training camp on the road this summer. Construction on a new team cafeteria at their headquarters in Metairie will make it difficult for 90 players and a full coaching staff to work at the facility — not to mention all of the athletic trainers and support staff.

So, the Saints announced Friday, they’ll be holding training camp at UC-Irvine in Southern California through July and August. Here’s what general manager Mickey Loomis shared in a team statement:

Currently, Mrs. Benson and our organization have invested in the construction of a new cafeteria, that when completed, will be among the finest in the National Football League. The scope of this project makes it difficult to host training camp on-site in 2024, given the extensive needs for our team to prepare for the regular season. We appreciate the outstanding support we have received from our great fans at training camp. We are thankful to be able to come to an agreement with the University of California, Irvine to host training camp, providing us with exceptional fields and facilities that are critical to our football team receiving the necessary work in preparation for the 2024 season.

UC-Irvine has hosted the Los Angeles Rams for their training camp from 2016 to 2023 (except for the COVID-19 pandemic-afflicted 2020 offseason), so this is nothing new to the university’s athletics department. Their 12-acre facilities and practice fields are well-suited to hosting NFL teams.

Still, it’s disappointing to see the Saints moving so far away from their fanbase in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast at large. At a time when Loomis is facing increasing scrutiny for his decisions in hiring Dennis Allen and recruiting Derek Carr while playing fast and loose with important draft picks, choosing to move the largest free-to-attend event for fans across the country doesn’t send a positive message (intended or not).

Hopefully the Saints can make up for it with some open practices at the team facility once construction wraps up or inside the Caesars Superdome upon their return. The team’s training camp schedule will be announced at a later date, but it remains to be seen whether fans in California will be allowed to attend practices. The Rams welcomed their supporters when conducting camp at this same campus, so hopefully the Saints will do the same.

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Broncos facility updates: New indoor turf + fans at training camp

The Broncos are replacing the turf at their indoor facility, and fans are expected at training camp this year despite facility construction.

The Denver Broncos announced two notable training facility updates during the NFL’s annual meetings in Orlando earlier this week.

The first update was an announcement from team owner/CEO Greg Penner that the team will replace the turf at their indoor Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse. The existing turf still had roughly 10 years left in its estimated lifespan, but the Broncos have decided to replace it with a “state-of-the-art” upgrade.

Better indoor turf could, in theory, reduce injuries for Denver, but changing the turf does not directly impact the fans. The second bit of news does.

The Broncos will soon begin construction on a new facility at their current Dove Valley location, and it remains to be seen how many fans will be able to attend training camp while the new facility is being built.

Denver coach Sean Payton said Monday that the team has not discussed the possibility of holding training camp practices at a different location during construction. The Broncos have not yet decided if construction will begin before or after training camp this summer.

Plans are still being finalized, but the team is currently planning to have fans at training camp despite the construction. Denver had a capacity limit of 3,000 fans at practices last summer, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the limit is even lower during construction.

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Jameis Winston thanks New Orleans for embracing him, says goodbye to Saints fans

Jameis Winston said goodbye to Saints fans in a last look back before signing with the Browns, thanking New Orleans for embracing him:

Jameis Winston formally put pen to paper on his new contract with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, but before doing that he made time to thank New Orleans Saints fans for embracing him during his four years with the team.

Winston shared a highlight reel of his favorite memories and touchdown passes in a Saints uniform on social media, along with a long goodbye message expressing his gratitude for everything he experienced in New Orleans. It’s a classy tribute to a memorable stretch of his NFL career.

“Trust and believe that y’all haven’t seen the last of Jaboo,” Winston said at the end of his letter, again thanking fans in the community for their support.

He’ll be back sooner than you think: Winston’s new Browns team is scheduled to visit the Saints for a home game at the Caesars Superdome in the fall. Depending on when that game kicks off and how far along Deshaun Watson is in recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder, it just might be Winston making the start against his former team.

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Jameis Winston says he ‘would love to stay in NOLA forever’ ahead of free agency

Jameis Winston says he ‘would love to stay in NOLA forever’ ahead of free agency. The Saints quarterback has found a lot of love in New Orleans:

There aren’t many New Orleans Saints players who have enjoyed Carnival season better than Jameis Winston. The quarterback has been a common site on Mardi Gras parade routes with his young son and family, shaking hands and taking photos with fans in-between plates of smothered turkey necks and red beans. He’s embraced the city’s culture and sense of community and, he hopes, he’ll continue to do so for a long time.

“I would love to stay in NOLA forever. But whatever the Lord has planned for me, I’m going to go and do my best, wherever that is. Hopefully it’s here, because I love this, I love the energy, and I love this city,” Winston laughed during an interview with WDSU meteorologist Margaret Orr, this year’s honorary Muse of the Krewe of Muses.

Will Winston return for 2024? By all accounts he’s been nothing but a good teammate, accepting his demotion to the backup role after Dennis Allen brought in Derek Carr and okaying the offense’s decision to score a late-game touchdown for Jamaal Williams to close out the season. But the Saints reworked his contract before the 2023 season ended so that they can release him in March with a more-manageable salary cap hit. All signs point to his time in New Orleans running out.

If that’s the case, this experience is something Winston will cherish. Even if he ends up joining a rival team like the dirty birds.

“I just love the people. When I go out and meet individuals, they’re so authentic,” Winston continued, comparing the sense of community he’s found to the Southern hospitality he experienced growing up in Alabama. “New Orleans, there’s not another place in the world that’s like New Orleans. It’s the culture, and just the love that’s here. I admire it.”

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Broncos increasing ticket prices by 7.9% in 2024

Coming off their eighth straight season of missing the playoffs, the Broncos are increasing ticket prices by nearly 8% in 2024.

Despite missing the playoffs for an eighth straight year and posting a losing record for a seventh straight season, the Denver Broncos are raising their ticket prices ahead of the 2024 campaign.

The Broncos started their season ticket renewal process last week and fans were informed that prices are increasing by an average of about 7.9% in 2024, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

This comes after the team increased prices by more than 13% in 2023. So over the last two years, season ticket holders have seen their cost increase by an average of more than 20%.

Some fans have decided to opt out because of the increasing cost.

“I’m out after 27 years. Not renewing,” @bordesa1 wrote on Twitter/X last week. “Small increase here, another there….no big deal, right? Well…since 2016, the first Post-PFM Year of Suck, my cost is up 34%.”

The Broncos, of course, aren’t hurt by fans opting out because the club has a 100,000-person waitlist of fans hoping to one day buy season tickets.

The average price per game for 2024 season tickets is about $143. The average price per ticket was about $132 last year. One day, Denver’s increases might price too many fans out. For now, though, the waitlist demonstrates that the demand is there, and the Broncos will exploit it.

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Viral videos of — let’s just say lubricated — fans at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open

It’s a wild scene at TPC Scottsdale.

There’s nothing like the WM Phoenix Open, especially on a Saturday.

The schedule at TPC Scottsdale has been all over the place the last three days thanks to several weather delays and suspended rounds due to darkness. However, the third round will finally tee off Saturday afternoon.

Fans who waited in line during the early hours of the morning were rewarded with great seats in the 16th-hole stadium, hoping to see a historic hole-in-one at the short par 3 (the last ace was Carlos Ortiz in 2022).

It’s impossible to think of the WM Phoenix Open without the fans. They’re rowdy, they’re loud and, maybe most notably, they’re, let’s just say, lubricated. They’re also once again building the Beer Snake, despite security’s best efforts to quash it.

Here are some viral fan moments from the WM Phoenix Open.

New Orleans’ Knights of Chaos parade takes aim at Saints QB Derek Carr

New Orleans’ satirical Knights of Chaos parade took aim at Saints quarterback Derek Carr, the “Red Zone Zombie” rising from the grave of the 2023 season

Derek Carr has some work to do winning over the New Orleans Saints fanbase. His poor play and bad attitude to start the 2023 season left a rough impression, despite his strong finish to the year — and that’s reflected during Carnival season. With parades picking up in anticipation of Mardi Gras, Carr found himself in the crosshairs of the Knights of Chaos.

A heavily satirical and often controversial krewe known for skewering politicians, celebrities, and other public figures, the Knights of Chaos rolled out one float featuring Carr as the “Red Zone Zombie” rising from the grave of the 2023 season.

“4th down, 90 million to go,” read one sign plastered next to Carr’s gaunt, bone-thin facsimile. A chorus of ghosts swarmed around Carr’s image as he dropped back to pass (missing an arm), pointedly booing him. Spectators in attendance reported that revelers took their cue, which was also the case at the Caesars Superdome at times this year.

But like it or not, Carr is here to stay. The Saints are expected to restructure his contract this offseason to help mange their salary cap situation and guarantee he’ll be on the roster through the 2024 and 2025 seasons. They’re hoping the addition of a new offensive staff headed by experienced play caller Klint Kubiak can get more out of Carr.

Playing at a higher level is just part of the equation. If Carr is going to win over the fanbase, he’ll have to put in the work and get out in the community, and maybe make an appearance at a parade or two. As Drew Brees has told other pro athletes coming to New Orleans, if they love the city, it’ll love them back.

In the meantime: disgruntled Saints fans are going to take out their frustrations as creatively as they can. Here are some photos and videos from the Knights of Chaos parade on Thursday night:

Wisconsin students camp outside overnight for good seats to No. 6 Badgers vs No. 2 Purdue

This is dedication

Wisconsin basketball fans are a dedicated group, especially when the team is playing great and contending for the Big Ten.

Today’s game against No. 2 Purdue is that once-a-few-years type of contest that every fan circles on their calendar. It’s two top-six teams with first place in the Big Ten on the line. We couldn’t ask for a better matchup.

This is one of those games you’d do a lot for a good seat. Possibly even sleep overnight outside the Kohl Center in freezing temperatures.

CBS 3’s Zach Hanley stopped by the Kohl Center last night around 10 p.m. and saw exactly that. Students with tickets were already in line to get the best seats.

This is a staple at Duke, Kansas and some other basketball-centric schools. It isn’t commonplace at Wisconsin, which just further highlights the magnitude of Sunday’s game.

Also, the last time Wisconsin and Purdue faced off with these stakes attached, this happened:

So, hopefully the students’ efforts get rewarded with a similar result.

Saints Twitter melts down after Jerrod Johnson backs out of OC search

Saints Twitter reactions to Jerrod Johnson returning to the Texans were mixed, but confidence in the offensive coordinator search is waning

There weren’t many names in this year’s hiring cycle drawing more buzz than Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson. The 35-year-old interviewed with the New Orleans Saints and five other teams looking for a new offensive coordinator — including playoff teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns as well as the rebuilding New England Patriots.

Instead, Johnson elected to stay another year in Houston, where he received a raise and an extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He’ll continue working with young star quarterback C.J. Stroud under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik which should give him a great opportunity to improve his stock ahead of the 2025 hiring cycle. If Slowik is hired away next year then Johnson is a natural successor on DeMeco Ryans’ staff.

But that didn’t leave Saints fans feeling happy. Reactions were mixed (some were turned off by Johnson’s lack of experience) but confidence in the offensive coordinator search is waning. Dennis Allen can’t afford to get this hire wrong. Here’s what fans are saying in the aftermath of Johnson returning to Houston: